Hey guys! Writing this story has been so fun lately, that I just can't seem to make myself stop. Plus, I was watching Charmed and saw Eric Dane as Phoebe's boyfriend, Jason. I squealed like an idiot and had to get back to my story. Here you go!
"Hey, there you are." Derek stopped Lexie as she exited the resident's lounge, pulling her hair back into a messy ponytail. "Mr. Anderson has some severe cerebral swelling so we need to get him to CT immediately and if I'm right, we need to schedule a second craniotomy."
"Okay." Lexie said, rushing to match his pace as they walked to CT.
The pair sat in awkward silence in the CT booth for about five minutes before Derek decided to break it.
"So what were you up to tonight?" He tapped a few keys on the keyboard. "Before you got sucked into this, I mean."
"I was attempting to pick up Haley from Mark's." She answered, scribbling something on the chart.
"What do you mean attempting?" Derek asked.
"Oh, my daughter didn't want to come home with me." Lexie told him. "She practically fought me tooth and nail."
"Wow."
"I swear, I see so much of myself in that child sometimes that it almost terrifies me." Lexie sighed. "Why can't she just stay like she was when I brought her home from the hospital? All smooshy and adorable. Not to mention, she loved me then."
"She loves you." Derek chuckled. "She just loves her daddy too. She doesn't quite understand the...situation."
"What was with the pause?"
"What pause?"
"I know. I know the situation is ridiculous, but I don't know what to do here, Derek. I'm at a loss." She explained.
"What is your first instinct?" He asked, focusing on her.
"My head says 'let him go' but my heart says 'fight like hell to get him back'."Lexie shrugged.
"Who do you wanna listen to?" Derek responded.
"Listening to your head isn't always right and listening to your heart isn't always smart. I don't know." She sighed. "See what I mean?"
"Well, Mark isn't going to stop loving you." He told her. "Trust me, I know that guy better than anyone and those feelings...they aren't going anywhere anytime soon."
"I bet Shannen loves that." She scoffed.
"Shannen?" Derek looked lost.
"Yeah. Mark's girlfriend." Lexie clarified.
"Right." He quickly recovered. "Right. Shannen. Sorry."
Lexie tossed her pen on the counter and sighed as Derek hit the intercom button.
"Alright, Mr. Anderson. We are pulling you out now."
Two Hours Later...
"Dr. Shepherd?"
"Yes, Lexie." He said, through a half mouth full of granola bar.
"Mr. Anderson's um... his um... CT results are back." She stuttered.
"Are you okay?" Derek asked cautiously.
"Yeah." Lexie shook it off. "Um...he has a new bleed...um...a subdural."
"Lexie, you don't look too good."
"I'm just a little woozy." She explained. "I'm fine. I booked an OR and they are prepping now."
"Okay." He replied. "Go ahead and scrub in, I'll meet you there."
"Thanks."
The OR had been quiet aside from the expected beeping and whirring of monitors and machines.
"What are Mr. Anderson's chances of intercranial pressure post-op?" Derek asked.
"I'd say slim, we seem to have gotten the bleeding under control and I don't see any other bleeders, so I think he could be just fine." Lexie assessed.
"Very good, Dr. Grey." He replied. "Why don't you close up for me?"
"Really?"
"Yeah." He told her. "I think you got it."
"Thanks...um..." Lexie sighed, her hand going directly to her forehead. "Derek?"
"Yeah." He turned around to look at her before exiting.
"I don't feel so..." Before Lexie could finish she collapsed on the OR floor.
"Lexie!" Derek rushed to her side. "Page Dr. Hunt and Dr. Grey now!"
"What about Mr. Anderson?" The nurse asked.
"Get Nelson in here to close. Just keep him alive till he gets here."
The nurse nodded in compliance and ran directly to the phone, punching in various numbers. Derek picked Lexie up, immediately taking her to the ER.
"What the hell happened now?" Bailey shot as she rushed over to a gurney that Derek placed Lexie.
"I don't know. She just collapsed." He began to explain. "She was acting weird earlier too."
"Weird, how?" She asked.
"I don't know. Dehydrated, maybe. I have to call Meredith."
Bailey waved a hand at him while listening to her stethoscope. A moment later, Lexie's eyes began to flutter open.
"Ouch." She muttered, in a groan, as she started to get up. "What happened?"
"What?" Bailey started. "Sit your butt down. We don't know what happened yet, but you are gonna sit here and wait until we do."
"I have to get-"
"You have to get nothing." Bailey cut her off. "You will do nothing, you will not get up, you will not make any sudden movements. You will sit here and wait until we find out what is wrong with you and you are not leaving here until we do!"
"Okay." Lexie said, mixed with fear and surprise. As Derek came back, Bailey walked away. "I just felt the wrath of Bailey." She told him.
"We've all been there." He chuckled. "Hang in there, champ. Meredith is on her way."
"What about Haley?" She asked him. "Mark was supposed to drop her off at the house tonight."
"Taken care of. Callie is going to watch her until I pick her up after my shift in an hour." He reassured her.
"I promise you, I am fine." Lexie tried again. "I really don't need this."
She started to take off her blood pressure coff and removing wires from her chest.
"Grey!" She heard Bailey yell from across the room. "What did I say?"
Lexie froze and slowly started to put the wires back.
An Hour Later...
"Meredith still isn't here?" Derek asked, dressed in his clothes, ready to go home.
"She went to the restroom." Lexie answered. "Can you take her home with you, please?"
"Why?"
"Her worrying is stressing me out." She told him. "I can't take it. Please."
"You promise to call if you find out anything?" He looked at her, skeptically.
"Promise." She answered, holding up a hand.
"Okay."
After a short argument, Derek managed to get Meredith to agree to go with him to pick up Haley and go back to the house, to give Lexie air and a break from the tension. She was sitting in the gurney, waiting for anyone to tell her she was fine and could go home.
"Can I go now?" Lexie called to Bailey at the admit desk.
"I don't want to hear it, Grey." She answered.
She sighed in exasperation and closed her eyes, trying to relax.
"What happened to you?" She heard from across the room. She knew the voice, but didn't open her eyes in hope that it was not real.
"I'm not here. Go away." She muttered.
"What?" The voice said.
"Mark." Lexie greeted, opening her eyes.
"What happened, Lex?" He asked her again.
"I had a minor incident." She answered, shrugging it off.
"Minor? You fainted in the middle of the OR." Bailey added from behind Mark. She looked at up at the man towering over her. "Get out of my way."
"You fainted?" Mark confirmed.
"It's like I said. Minor." She tried.
"Are you kidding me, Lexie?" He added, exasperated.
"Oh, my god. Somebody, please kill me now." Lexie muttered.
"Severe dehydration." Bailey told her. "You should know better."
Lexie just nodded while Bailey continued.
"Go home, get some rest, do not come back here for at least two days, and drink some damn water." She finished, before walking away.
"Great. So I can go." She started taking her wires off.
"Yeah. Get out of here." Bailey answered, handing her discharge papers.
Lexie grabbed her sneakers and started to loosen the shoelaces. A few awkward moments passed before she noticed Mark staring at her.
"What?" She asked. "Don't you have a shift starting about now?"
"No." Mark answered. "I'm taking you home."
"Relax. I'm dehydrated, I'm not dying." She laughed.
"This could have been serious." He explained. "Why haven't you been taking better care of yourself?"
"Let's see." Lexie sighed. "I have a career, a needy sister, household chores, and a social life, all in addition to raising a small child."
"I know." Mark sighed. "But I also know that you won't slow down unless someone makes you slow down."
"You don't know that." Lexie shook her head.
"Yes, I do." He answered. "Because I know you. Let's go."
Lexie threw the front door open and walked inside, looking left and right.
"Meredith!" She called. "For the love of God, please be home!"
"Yeah. What's wrong?" Meredith came from the kitchen, holding a cookie.
"I was just giving you suggestions." Mark added, following her inside, closing the door behind him.
"You were being annoying." Lexie shot back. "You act like I asked for this."
"Well, you didn't exactly prevent it, did you?"
Before Lexie could say anything Meredith stepped in.
"Okay!" She started. "What the hell is going on?"
"Dehydration." Lexie stated simply. "And Mark won't stop fathering me over it."
"Lexie." Meredith said. "What happened? I thought you were taking care of yourself."
"I was...I mean, I am!" She tried. "Meredith."
"Hey, if he wants to take care of you I can't really do anything." She explained. "He's 6 feet tall. He can take me."
Lexie just groaned before heading up the stairs. Leaving Mark and Meredith in the foyer. Meredith smiled at Mark.
"I'm giving you your in. Don't screw it up." She said, patting him on the back.
"Thanks." He answered, hanging his coat by the door.
"I'll bring up some water."
I know this was a little shorter, but I am glad to have at least finished the update. Reviews are diminishing a little, so I need to know if you guys want me to continue this story or just draw it to a close. Let me know. Thanks for all the love and support. XOXO Peace, Love, & Grey's Anatomy.
